Fanatics I have some fun news to share. Last year I raved about New York Magazine’s Shop-A-Matic feature and how much I loved that they did one focusing on nail polish. Well this year, Editor Diana Tsui invited me to be a guest editor selecting my favorite colors of the season to be included in their comprehensive listing. Talk about a thrill and a challenge. Narrowing down my top picks for Summer 2010 to a short list of 19 was no small feat.

If you haven’t browsed the NY Mag Shop-A-Matic in the past you’re missing out. Each polish is shown in the bottle, on the nail and as a color blob. They also include shopping information for the NYC area and online availability.

All the polishes are categorized by color and can be sorted by price but if you want to see my picks, select that option from the “Color” drop down menu.

Of the 19 polishes I selected, Diana asked me to share with her my Top 3. Find out my choices later today on The Cut.

There Are 25 Brilliant Comments

Great tool, but have you seen the nail models??? I can hardly bear to look at some of them. There is polish on overgrown cuticles, and horribly shaped nails, uneven application, etc. So unprofessional for their website. What were they thinking? They should have had you swatch everything. LOL

Before I went to the page, I honestly thought that the models couldn’t be that bad. I don’t know you Danielle but, I have to apologize for thinking you were possibly being too harsh. You are 100% right. I’m really surprised that they used those hands. I cannot imagine the manufacturers would want their polishes being displayed that way.

Danielle I was just about to write the same thing! that’s one of the reasons I love ALU because her swatches are great and her nails aren’t -eeerrr, for the lack of a better word *gross* looking. The uneven crappy coverage on that website make my eyes hurt! oh yeah and Michelle great job!

That is a cool site! I’m not sure if we’ve been spoiled by your gorgeous nails though, Michelle, but the swatches they have on the site are so gnarly that they gross me out. Looking forward to your top picks!

This is an awesome feature, but I was just going to say the same thing as Danielle about the nail models. EW. Don’t they even have an intern with nice cuticles that could’ve done the job? You totally should have been allowed to swatch them yourself! (and compensated by the hour, of course)

You’re right, the swatches aren’t ideal. Though if you consider that they were all shot under the same lighting, it does give you a good reference as to the differences between polishes in the same color family.

To be fair to the hand model, they only have 1-2 days to photograph and swatch everything and I can bet that under that tight of a deadline, my nails would be looking pretty wrecked after that much swatching. A little cuticle oil wouldn’t hurt though.

love your picks, they are very you (lots of greens)! I couldn’t help but wonder how in the world they allowed such terrible fingers and awful application to represent those pretty colors. I can’t help but think that many people might be put off from purchasing some of the colors just because the swatches were done so poorly. It looked like all the swatches were done with only one messy coat. :s

Having the nail swatches is so great in theory, but they certainly did not execute it well. I came to comment, wondering if anyone had said anything. It feels so mean to say, but it really did gross me out a little and it doesn’t help sell the polish. Bummer. They should have had a professional helping.

Oh my gosh, everyone complaining should have seen last year’s Nail Polish Shop-A-Matic! This year’s swatches are miles better.

The swatches last year were really pretty grotesque by any standard – polish sloshed all over the cuticles, crusted into corners, lumpy and clumpy coverage, and even gnarlier nails – it did really gross me out.

I too thought it would be better just to skip the swatches entirely rather than do such a cruddy job. Some of you don’t even know how much worse it was last year…you should be thankful for the improvement!

Totally agree with Danielle! Their website featured some of my favourite go-to shades but the nail models were such a put off, I can imagine buyers not wanting the colours featured just from seeing those nails… Shame.

Great selection of polish, but I think the model for Commander in Chic’s swatch needs prompt medical attention for what must be a serious condition that is causing her nails to ridge like that! That was really the best they could do for nail models? The comment about how they look like toes cracked me up. Unfortunately after looking at the swatches, the images of toe fingers may be permanently etched into my brain…shudder.

This post is brought to you by CJ Affiliate’s VIP Content Service. Thank you HSN for sponsoring this post. While this was a sponsored opportunity from HSN, all content and opinions expressed here are my own. Ever since I saw Beetlejuice as a little kid, I’ve been fascinated with the look of Tim Burton’s films. […]

If there’s one beauty lesson I wish I would have learned as a young girl, it would be to apply ALL THE SUNSCREEN and STAY OUT OF THE TANNING BED. As I get older, I am constantly reminded of those mistakes when I look in the mirror. I remember having great skin, you guys. Then, […]

From Caribbean beaches to African safaris to the North Fork coastline, the essie Resort palettes always promise us a colorful adventure. This year we are off to India with the bold-hued essie Resort 2016 collection. Inspired by the opulent silks, saturated hues and golden desert sands, these four colors are taking us on one vibrant ride. […]

When it comes to makeup, I’m all about neutrals and keeping things simple, but I’m loving all the bold lip colors that are trending this spring. If you follow me on Instagram or SnapChat, you know I can’t get enough of the new Burt’s Bees® 100% Natural Lipstick in Magenta Rush (been wearing it non-stop), […]

I don’t know about you guys, but these hints of warm weather we’ve been getting has me ready for spring to arrive, so I’m stocking up on new accessories for when that first 70 degree day hits. I took advantage of the SHOPBOP Spring Sale to snag the emerald green Marc Jacobs satchel I’ve been coveting, and […]